Oklahoma Bigfoot—More Human than Ape?

A little over a year ago, a lady from Oklahoma contacted me and reported a Bigfoot encounter that occurred on her property. At her request, I am withholding her name. Additionally, I am leaving out her location. The following is the report in her own words:

“I live on a lake about 12 miles from the nearest town. These creatures are seen all the time by hunters, hikers, and just people. You probably won’t read about it because no one wants to be labeled a kook!

In July, this eight-foot-tall giant was seen very near my home by a member of my family walking my dogs. It was around 7pm CST when he noticed the dogs were behaving oddly looking into the woods between my home and the lake. Every 10 feet or so, my APBT would stop and pee right on the road. She had never done that before or since. He heard something crashing through the woods parallel to the road and assumed it was a deer coming from the lake after drinking. Then, after several minutes of this, a Bigfoot, Sasquatch, wood ape broke through the trees and underbrush and jumped down on the road 15 feet or so in front of him!

He said he had never been so taken aback and was shook to the very core. The dogs, even my pit bull, wanted nothing to do with this. My husband said it was more human not really ape but so massive he said it was hard to describe the size!

He said he didn’t really feel threatened, but was struck by its eyes that were as green as the foliage. He said it kind of snorted at him and in 2 strides was across the road and gone before he could understand what happened.

When he finally got back, I noticed something was wrong. I really thought he was having another heart attack. After 2 nitro glycerin, his color started coming back and after about an hour he told me about it. He has not shared this with anyone else.”

She went on to tell me that just among people she knows in the area, 9 have had encounters similar to her husband’s. These folks, she added, are respected in their community, trustworthy, and have good jobs. The people who have shared their encounters with her stressed that the creature seemed much more human than ape.

Though this encounter is not all that different than many Bigfoot sightings you read about, what she kept stressing—more human than ape—really sticks out.

While I was researching my book Wild & Wonderful (and Paranormal) West Virginia, I came across a newspaper article that appeared in the Raleigh Register (Beckley, WV) on January 1, 1957. The piece was titled “Bats in the Attic, Geese on a Tin Roof among 1956’s Outdoor Oddities,” and it recounted a number of strange incidents reported by the Department of Conservation during the year. I found the following to be very interesting:

And there were the reports about hairy monsters. One Beckley resident summed that situation up this way in a letter to the Conservation Department:

“There have been too many reports of hairy monsters being seen to pass them off as nonsense.

“If there is any such thing, it is more human than animal, but it shouldn’t be shot just because it’s hairy.”

Thinking of “hairy monsters” that seem more human than ape, the Sykesville Monster comes to mind. This creature was widely reported in Carroll County, Maryland in the 1970s and early-1980s. According to Lon Strickler of phantomsandmonsters.com, who saw the creature in 1981, it looked like a Neanderthal. The monster was covered in hair, 7–8 feet tall, but the face looked almost human.

There are many, many reports to choose from in which the creature in question appears to be more human than ape. This brings up questions. Beyond the obvious—what is it? —ethical questions arise for “squatchers,” particularly those who venture into the forest armed, many with the intent of shooting a Bigfoot. While firing on a Sasquatch can be justified in self-defense, setting out into the woods with the intention of killing one is a bridge too far. I agree with the wise person who wrote to the Conservation Department back in 1957:

“If there is any such thing, it is more human than animal, but it shouldn’t be shot just because it’s hairy.”